The present invention generally relates to playback of media files and more specifically to systems and methods for providing assurances of a predetermined quality of playback.
Media files are created by a variety of encoders, which can be implemented in hardware and/or software. In order to enable playback of the media file on a variety of devices, media files are typically encoded in accordance with a defined standard. A considerable degree of flexibility is provided by most video standards, and therefore the quality of the viewing experience varies depending upon the implementation of the encoder used to encode the media file and the decoder used to render the media file. The increasing array of options for the distribution of content has resulted in the ability to obtain a single piece of content in a variety of formats and, in many instances, in different variants of a single format. The variety in decoder quality creates uncertainty on the part of content owners as to the quality of their content when played back by viewers. Likewise, the variance in encoder quality creates uncertainty on the part of viewers as to the quality of a piece of content when rendered using a premium playback device.
Security is another concern for content owners. Therefore, encryption techniques and/or watermarking techniques are often applied to media files to prevent playback of the media file by unauthorized users and to identify sources of unauthorized copies of the media file. When a file is encrypted, the data within the file is obfuscated and a piece of information such as an encryption key is required to access the media file “in the clear”. A watermark is information that is embedded within the media file. Watermarks are typically designed so that their location cannot be determined from inspection of the file. Maintaining the secrecy of the location of the watermark is important in preventing removal of the watermark.
Additionally, content control by a content viewer, such as parental control, can be a concern. In such cases, content is typically available to be decoded but is not decoded due to a setting introduced by the content viewer to restrict displaying of the content or to display only portions of the content. For example, an “R” rated movie may be prevented from being displayed by activating a parental control setting that restricts displaying of such rated content. As such, this selective feature is set and governed by the content viewer or decoder owner.